Just under a year later from the announcement of Icon of the Seas, the construction is underway of a second as-of-yet unnamed Icon-class ship has been announced by Royal Caribbean.
When did the Steal-Cutting Ceremony take place?
Royal Caribbean celebrated the steal-cutting ceremony for their newest Icon Class ship on February 14 in Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard, where the sister ship Icon of the Seas is also being constructed and will set sail on her maiden voyage in 2024.
What is a Steal-Cutting Ceremony?
The steel-cutting ceremony is momentous during the creation of a ship, as it’s the first tangible step of the construction process and one of the few traditions remaining from the old days. Similar to a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building, the steel-cutting ceremony signifies that after years of planning, the formal beginning of the construction of a new ship is underway.
The Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku teams working on the second Icon-class ship, scheduled to make its debut in 2025, were present at the ceremony as it is typical to involve the executives of the cruise line and the shipyard coming together. A third ship of the Royal Caribbean Icon class will definitely exist at some point, according to Royal Caribbean, albeit no specific release date has been announced yet.
Potential Features
Due to the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class still being built, there aren’t many details about the ship available as of yet. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that the ship will have a lot of the same features as its sister ship Icon of the Seas, including brand-new neighbourhoods (including one designed for young families), a variety of suite categories and 28 stateroom categories (including a brand-new three-level eight-person Ultimate Family Townhouse), six waterslides in what Royal Caribbean says will be the first true waterpark at sea plus eco-friendly propulsion technologies. Royal Caribbean states that Icon of the Seas will be the hub of innovation for family holidays.
Icon of the Seas, the 24th ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet and the first Icon-class ship, is scheduled to begin its maiden voyage on the 27th of January 2024. At 250,800 GT, it will overtake Royal Caribbean’s own Oasis class Wonder of the Seas as the largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage. Icon of the Seas will have a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers and a double occupancy capacity of 5,610 passengers.
